PRESIDENT Michael D Higgins has said Cork needs realisable long-term planning to help navigate the choppy waters of the post-Brexit era.

President Higgins was in Cork last night to mark the 200-year anniversary of Cork Chamber of Commerce at a gala function in City Hall.

He said Ireland needs a balanced regional economy and Cork should play a central role in this.

“We need realisable long-term plans for our regions and cities, sustained by an active and ambitious state, one confident of intervening where it can to promote and even create economic development, and propelled by the businesses such as those represented here today. 

"That will be all the more important as we confront the uncertainty caused by the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. 

"Though the outcome of events in Westminster remain in doubt, we can be sure that our economic future will only be certain if it rests on a vision of balanced economic development, one conscious of, and capable of rising to, the ecological challenges presented by climate change and the loss of biodiversity both in Ireland and globally.”

Cork Chamber President Bill O’Connell called on the Government to provide absolute clarity and transparency on the delivery timelines for all projects in the National Development Plan and Ireland 2040. 

He said: “The plans that are set out in Ireland 2040 offer a once in a lifetime opportunity to change Cork over the next 20 years but if they stay in print alone they are nothing but aspirations.”

Meanwhile, Zenith Technologies was announced as the overall winner of the Cork Company of the Year Award 2019. The company delivers manufacturing software globally to the life science sector.

Zenith Technologies executive chairman and founder, Brendan O’Regan, said: “This award reflects an overnight success 20 years in the making and is a tremendous recognition of the effort and quality of the whole team at Zenith Technologies.”

Other category winners include:

Cork Emerging Company of the Year 2019: Verifish, which supports sustainability and food safety in seafood.

Cork SME Company of the Year 2019: O’Flynn Medical, which offers the sale, rental, service and decontamination of a wide range of quality medical equipment.

Cork Large Company of the Year 2019: Wisetek, a global service provider of IT recycling, manufacturing and data sanitisation services.